12 Percent of All Rensselaer County Residents Rely on SNAP for Their Meals Trump Administration’s Proposed Budget Would Cut SNAP Benefits By $193 Billion Over 10 Years

Troy, NY –U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today visited the Capital Roots Urban Grow Center to urge the Senate to reject the Trump Administration’s budget proposal to cut SNAP benefits for low-income families. The Trump Administration’s proposed budget would cut SNAP funding by $193 billion over 10 years, even though 12 percent of all Rensselaer County residents rely on SNAP for their meals.

“When Congress talks about destroying the SNAP program, they are completely ignoring the three million New Yorkers who rely on SNAP for their meals and would absolutely suffer if these funds were cut,” said Senator Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “I continue to be shocked by how little empathy some of my colleagues seem to have for hardworking families in the Southern Tier who do everything they possibly can to succeed, but still need the SNAP program in order to survive. Poverty is not a choice. These New Yorkers work, but their wages are just too low, and so they need SNAP to fill in the gaps. I will continue to fight in the Senate to protect SNAP funding, and I encourage everyone in the Capital Region to raise their voices and join me in this fight.”

“At Capital Roots, we work daily to provide Capital Region residents access to quality, fresh food, and programs such as SNAP are vital to ensuring it reaches their tables,” said Amy Klein, Chief Executive Officer at Capital Roots. “Affordable access to healthy food is key to improving the nutritional content of food insecure households diets helping them to live healthier and more productive lives.”